President Mirziyoyev Unveils Reforms to Enhance Music, Sports, and Patriotic Education in Schools
Tashkent, The Gulf Observer: President Shavkat Mirziyoyev has reviewed a detailed presentation aimed at improving the quality of teaching in music, physical education, and military-patriotic education in schools. The discussion took place during a meeting with teachers at the National Institute of Pedagogical Excellence on September 30, where the President underscored the importance of these disciplines in shaping the personalities of students and emphasized the necessity of enhancing their teaching standards.
One of the key issues raised during the meeting was the current state of music education in schools. According to the President, 21 percent of music teachers in schools have only secondary specialized education, and many lack the ability to play musical instruments. This gap, he explained, is partly due to the absence of a system to improve the practical qualifications of music teachers, as well as insufficient collaboration between schools and music and art institutions. Consequently, graduates of cultural institutes are often unable to pursue teaching careers.
To address this, President Mirziyoyev proposed several initiatives aimed at improving the quality of music education. These include the introduction of a system to assess the knowledge and professional skills of music teachers, the development of new teaching aids, and the creation of a qualification improvement program for teachers. Additionally, a new procedure for assigning categories to teachers will be established, and the experience of the Turan School Theater will serve as a model for the creation of art groups, such as “Iqtidor,” in schools. Graduates in the fields of “Music and Art” from higher education institutions will also be allowed to work as teachers.
In the realm of physical education, the President noted the need for greater investment in teaching aids and more systematic student selection processes for sports programs. Schools currently offer classes in 22 Olympic, 19 non-Olympic, and 4 national sports; however, physical education teachers lack proper instructional resources. To address these challenges, physical education curricula will be enhanced, teaching aids developed, and a national system for evaluating teachers’ knowledge and skills introduced. Moreover, a nationwide initiative to establish school sports clubs will be implemented from the new academic year, alongside a new sports rating system for schools and improved teacher categorization procedures.
Patriotic education was also a focal point of the meeting. With the aim of enhancing the effectiveness of military-patriotic education, the President noted that the current system requires improvements, particularly in the training and qualification of teachers. Currently, about 10,000 teachers are responsible for primary pre-conscription training, but 27 percent are not specialists, and 2,750 schools lack the necessary conditions to teach the subject. To rectify this, the staff of primary pre-conscription training teachers will now be transferred to the Ministry of Defense, and military personnel from the Armed Forces Reserve will be recruited for these positions. New curricula and textbooks will be developed, and a “School of Courage” will be established in each district and city, based on one school per area.
President Mirziyoyev also provided instructions for fundamental reforms in the training of teachers in these subjects at higher education institutions, emphasizing the need to raise qualification standards and improve the overall quality of education.
These initiatives reflect the government’s ongoing commitment to advancing education standards in Uzbekistan and ensuring that students are equipped with the necessary skills and values to succeed in the modern world.
